The subject matter disclosed herein relates to gas turbine engines and, more specifically, to a fuel nozzle assembly of the gas turbine engine.
A gas turbine engine combusts a mixture of fuel and air to generate hot combustion gases, which in turn drive one or more turbine stages. In particular, the hot combustion gases force turbine blades to rotate, thereby driving a shaft to rotate one or more loads, e.g., an electrical generator. The gas turbine engine includes one or more fuel nozzle assemblies to inject fuel and air into a combustor. The design and construction of the fuel nozzle assembly can significantly impact exhaust emissions (e.g., nitrogen oxides, carbon monoxide, etc.) as well as the life of components of the fuel nozzle assembly. Furthermore, the design and construction of the fuel nozzle assembly can significantly affect the time, cost, and complexity of installation, removal, maintenance, and general servicing. Therefore, it would be desirable to improve the design and construction of the fuel nozzle assembly.